The invention relates generally to welding systems, and, more particularly, to welding wire feeding systems including motor synchronization.
Welding is a process that has become increasingly ubiquitous in various industries and applications. While such processes may be automated in certain contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations. Such welding operations rely on a variety of types of equipment to ensure the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to the weld in an appropriate amount at the desired time. For example, metal inert gas (MIG) welding typically relies on a wire feeding system to ensure that a proper wire feed reaches a welding torch. Some such wire feeding systems rely on a push-pull system in which a push motor and a pull motor cooperate to both pull the wire from a wire spool and push the wire toward a welding torch at a desired wire feed rate.
In such push-pull wire feeding systems, the push motor and the pull motor each operate a separate drive mechanism, which may include components such as drive rollers, gears, etc., in contact with a single wire at different points along the length of the wire. As such, it is desirable that operation of the push motor and the pull motor be coordinated such that a consistent wire feed rate is maintained. Unfortunately, in many traditional systems, a mismatch in wire delivery rate between the two separate drive mechanisms may lead to deformation of the welding electrode, which may result in a less than optimal welding arc quality. Such a delivery rate mismatch may occur, for example, due to variations in motor speed of the push motor and the pull motor during operation. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved welding wire feed systems that overcome such drawbacks.